Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/fhmbCgUpsSc
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Magic & Larry Bird Are Most Important Figures In #nba history According To Charles Barkley
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I followed basketball very loosely over the years, but I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE listening to these stories!
They saved the NBA some say.
Storytime. Bird came from a very poor family with no experience with large sums of money. He didn't even know he had been drafted in his junior year by the Celtics until someone told him.
Businessmen in his state though met together and checked out sports agents. They picked out two that were honest and great negotiators. Bird went with one of them that got Bird a million dollar contract his rookie season.
After Magic got his first chip Jerry Buss redid his contract for a million a year for 25 years.
{Story about Bird is from his book Drive}
Straight facts from a top 10 all time great….
Before them the Finals was on tape delay.
The edit to Matt Barnes face when Chuck said 200k was avergae salary was priceless. He had that I spent more on my kids sneaker than that. Shout to Matt Barnes and Single Dads everywhere.
Showman ship saved the NBA when magic and bird started their show!
You do not have to agree w everything Charles says but I dare you to find a person that keeps it real like him.
Humility Nice
Well said
Yup, I lived during that era and watched all their matchups and they brought the NBA out of obscurity. That rivalry made the NBA exciting.
Magic and Bird made the NBA prime time that bought in more viewers more endorsements lead to more money for everyone
College basketball games had higher viewer ratings in the 1970's than the pros.
TOO MUCH CREDIT IS GIVEN TO MICHAEL JORDAN. GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN! AMEN!
ALMOST correct. I love NBA BB!! I'm 63 years old. I've watched the entire transformation of the NBA…AND.. there are FOUR….FOUR ….key figures in the transformation of the NBA. In the early 1970s, the NBA was relegated to obscurity. NBA PLAYOFF GAMES…..PLAYOFF GAMES.. came on at 11:30 PM…tape delayed. ONE player….(1)…forced the NBA start showing NBA games in PRIME TIME on Saturday afternoons. JULIUS ERVING….DOCTOR J!!!
The buzz on Dr. J from the un- televised ABA started a chain of events that eventually lead the Philadelphia 76ers to go get Dr. J. The NBA, for the first time in years, now had Saturday "ABC SPECIAL " NBA Basketball. The league was gaining popularity and all of a sudden, more and more games were televised in PRIME TIME. In 1979..Magic and Larry came to the league and the EAST COAST/WEST COAST SERIES began. These three solidified the league until… MICHAEL JORDAN came out from UNC. ALAS..the NBA had its stars and were firmly established in PRIME TIME! These are the facts!!
I've said before…. Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers… we're always my favorite team….but Bird and Boston… just won me over…..Bird and Boston were rediculous…..
Sir Charles is also a legend. Love this man
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird save the league. They are the reason these players make the salaries that they are making today. That is a fact. Before Magic and Bird you could sit Court side for 15 dollars.
Charles is still so pretty!
Chuck is a FOUR time Emmy award winning sports analyst! (with a total of 9 nominations!)
I mean https://youtu.be/mLVSj–CuZ4
I think no matter who you're team is you have to have respect for larry and magic. They brought some serious competition out on the court. It was exciting and you were watching two of the best all time leave it all out on the court. I was born in 75. From Boston. What a time to be an NBA fan. And then to get Jordan right after that. Awesome
The best line I heard: "Magic Johnson taught me how to program my VCR! Never wanted to miss him playing so I forced myself to learn." Yeah, he was that good.
God bless all the greats …you all deserve props…I'm in awe and I'm a 46 year old woman
He's absolutely right
The NBA could use another Magic/Bird to keep it entertaining. Rivalries aren't the same as they used to be.
NBA got very fortunate with Magic and Larry coming into the league in 1980 and then Michael Jordan entering just 6 years later.
Jordan made NBA Global
but Bird and Magic saved the NBA from bankruptcy
Oh lord, don't show this to MJ fanboys.
Magic and Larry legend 🙌
Finals on tape delay FFS.
I don't know if today's NBA fans are old enough to know the NBA was dying before those two hit the NBA.
Ya’ll L James fans hear this? Magic, Bird, and Dr J from the ABA. Michael Jordan would come five seasons later. By then, The Lakers and Boston were beast. Only Philly could touch them. By the time the mid 80’s hit, the Lakers and Boston pretty much owned the league, and Detroit was building. Jordan was dominating individually, but the Lakers, who had Magic, Worthy, Jabbar, Nixon/B Scott and Jamal Wilkes, and Boston had Bird, D Johnson, Parrish, McHale, and Cedric Maxwell plus some. The 80’s were the greatest era of Basketball with that early to mid 90’s draft classes.
Thank You Charles for speaking facts. Thank You for knowing about the history of the history